Diversity In The Church

[MormonMason]

No offense, but get some help. See a psychologist. You are obviously not well. Mental illness is no one's fault - no more than having diabetes or cancer. But you clearly have problems. I take no offense to your previous insult, because clearly you are not well mentally.

Heheh! Already tried that route to find an excuse to deny my faith by denying the validity of revelations and visions so I could have an excuse to leave the Church. They couldn't find anything wrong. I tried. I really did. It was a no-go.

Note: It's funny that we have so many armchair psychologists on the board, lately.

I just hope they don't really do this for a living.

[Jason]

What was this thread about, again?

[semlogo]

You have chosen to ignore all posts from: MormonMason.

[MormonMason]

thank you for your explanation. i am sad that this kind of thing can happen. i do know that people in callings are people. people make mistakes. my gosh we went through a bizaare one ourselves. a friend of the bishop long time ago told him that my husband was meeting a woman while he was waiitng to get a load of seed potatoes. he was supposed to have been having some kind of affaire with her. well the bishop would sit on the stand alternately glaring at my husband and looking pityingly at me. the bishop would call him in to chat and kept asking if he didnt have something he wanted to confess. we just could not understand it. years later we found out his friend, who was my husbands boss was excommunicated for adultry. but in the midst of it he was 'diverting' attention to my husband who was meeting a woman. lol and he was. she was his niece who lived in that area who he had not seen for 16 years but was close to. she brought her kids to met him and they would chat. his coworker asked who she was and he told him that she was his niece. he assumed thaat was a euphamism for a girlfriend. he even got fired over it. but no one would ever say what was going on. they just make up stuff that didnt make sense. it helps a lot to be honest. not think things about people without finding out the truth. and in the end realize people make mistakes. sometimes whoppers.

Thank you for sharing that experience. I think it is sad that such things happen in the Church and I and my family have had the unfortunate experience of a lot of this kind of thing. You would be amazed at the sort of things of which I have been accused because of false friends and false brethren in the Church. Even a set of full-time missionaries got in on the "fun" once. One evening, after talking with me and having a rather lengthy conversation regarding a number of subjects relating to anti-Mormonism, the missionaries went to have dinner with another family in a Ward I was attending at the time. Several remarks were made that in time made their way into the populace of the Ward.

One of the missionaries remarked to the other: "No way this guy could learn this much information without neglecting his family!" By the time I was apprised of what they had done the rumor spread itself quickly that I had neglected my family in order to pursue knowledge. The truth, however, was very different. Of course, that made no difference to some. I was looked upon as a monster in that Ward and my wife and children as the poor victims of neglect. It was unbelievable! But, this is by far not the worst accusation that was hurled my way there. I even was accused by a Bishop of a crime I did not commit once!

I also in another Ward had a good friend I had known for years who was accused of being a practicing lesbian (she wasn't). Why? She held hands with a childhood friend out of nervousness, due to a certain situation of which I am not at liberty to say, and was seen by a member of the Ward who promptly reported the same to the Ward Bishop. It led to a major blowup and that, amongst a few other nice little items of gossip flying around, led to her fall from the Church.

I have seen so much damage done in the Church by gossip it is not even funny. I think the Church should have a more aggressive policy toward it, I have seen so much.

I was reminded of another incident of interest relating to my previous post to which you addressed your comments. After the events described in my previous post happened, I decided to seek out another Ward to attend. I ended up being late and sat in the foyer listening to the Testimony meeting there. After a few talkimonies about various subjects, one guy got up and bore his testimony about how we as Saints needed to be prepared because there is a major secret combination attempting to take over the world and that even had infiltrated into the Church. The guy went on and on and then I got to hear more about his little secret combination that had infiltrated the Church in an attempt to take it over--the man identifying the secret combination as the Freemasons!

Needless to say, I just got up and left, and went home. I did not even bother to return to that Ward. When I got home, my wife asked me how it went. I said to her, "Let me just say that this Ward is not for us, either." I filled her in on the details when she prodded me for more information.

Whether people of the "all's well in Zion" club want to believe it or not, there are anti-Masons in the Church. They may not be in every Ward but they are in the Church in various places, seeing secret combinations under every rock and in everything because they believe the claptrap they find on the internet. I can understand one of my Lodge Brother's reticense to discuss his affiliation. I experienced the sort of villification in my Ward he was worried about in his own Ward--first hand.

[katherine the great]

This is truly a disturbing thread. Someone needs help desperately.

[MormonMason]

This is truly a disturbing thread. Someone needs help desperately.

Yes, several people do. I am glad I am not one of them.

[katherine the great]

Yes, several people do. I am glad I am not one of them.

Denial is the first sign...

[MormonMason]

Denial is the first sign...

Experience, I take it?

[katherine the great]

Experience, I take it?

Yes. The experience of reading your posts...

[MormonMason]

Yes. The experience of reading your posts...

Whatever... I see that you belong to the "all's well in Zion" club, drowning in the Kool-aid....

As an afterthought, could you do me a favor and PM me the name of your Ward? I want to be sure to add it to my list of "do not attend Wards" in the event I end up having to relocate any time soon.

[katherine the great]

Whatever... I see that you belong to the "all's well in Zion" club, drowning in the Kool-aid....

As an afterthought, could you do me a favor and PM me the name of your Ward? I want to be sure to add it to my list of "do not attend Wards" in the event I end up having to relocate any time soon.

No thanks. I don't really want our building nuked...

[Jason]

MM, your posts really do read like you have paranoia and/or a persecution complex. It looks like every Ward in the Church is out to get you and their leadership is constantly plotting secretly against the Masons.

And then you go on a riff about being able to build neutron bombs?

Can you see why some of us are a bit concerned?

[MormonMason]

No thanks. I don't really want our building nuked...

Muahahahah! How do you know I am not just down the street from you already? A few blocks will make little difference, much less even a few miles.

[MormonMason]

MM, your posts really do read like you have paranoia and/or a persecution complex. It looks like every Ward in the Church is out to get you and their leadership is constantly plotting secretly against the Masons.

And then you go on a riff about being able to build neutron bombs?

Can you see why some of us are a bit concerned?

It is easy to see why some become concerned as a result of misreading posts and the intent thereof.

I have never said that every Ward I have been in is bad or that something nasty happened in all of them, notwithstanding I have been in a lot of bad ones as well.

I have never said that the leadership of every Ward is plotting against anyone, much less Masons.

Going on a riff? Please. I only offered that as clarification of the fact that there are those who know how to do such things. I also clearly stated in the same logical unit of thought that I was of the opinion that I likely would never build one of those weapons, also stating clearly the same using the word "accursed" to describe them.

People want to see what they want to see and when that happens, it is impossible to enlighten them further or clarify anything without them continuing to see further attempts at clarification or response as further signs of their delusion.

I think you need to go back and read my posts a little more carefully and with a sympathetic eye of understanding. Anne seems to be getting the point now, as does Anijen. Why cannot others of you even attempt to do the same?

Is it because those of you who think this way are of the nature of those who also would strike to the heart through the back, had you opportunity? Think about it.

P.S.: Notwithstanding semlogo's derailment of the thread and the continued discussion following that derailment, it is interesting in light of the title of the thread regarding the goodness of diversity in the Church. The moment someone is somehow different than the others, it is of great interest as to whence the attacks come. I guess diversity is not tolerated well in the Church after all.

Thanks for helping let the public know.